Playing your digital music library on an old analog stereo, getting video from a phone to a car's display, could Cox be blocking a different streaming service? What to look for on a gaming PC and more of your calls!

Audience Questions

Audience QuestionsHour 1

Richard bought a new 2015 Ford Fusion Energi car and he's trying to use his Google Pixel 2 with it. It's having issues showing up in the dash. Leo says that Android Auto is what many of the new cars use. His Ford with SYNC2 may not support that, however. The Pixel 2 has a Type-C port and he can use audio out. But Video may be an issue. It wouldn't be an unusual thing for the manufacturer to omit video from the Type-C connector.

Would he be able to hotspot the video to a Google Chromecast that has been installed in the car? Leo says he wouldn't be able to do maps with a Chromecast. A MiraCast dongle, however, could work.

Audience QuestionsHour 2

Sarah wants to know if she should upgrade to Mojave with her eight year old laptop. Leo says that if Apple lets her, then she should. Since she can run High Sierra, there's a good chance she will be able to. If it's not compatible or really makes her Mac sluggish, Apple probably wouldn't let her.

David is having issues streaming PlayStation Vue with Cox Cable. He got an email about suspicious activity and when he called Cox, they tried to sell him a protection service package. Leo says that could be anti competitive behavior, or it could be a spoofed email scam designed to get him to install something. But it doesn't make sense that his streaming website would be blocked by a spammer.

It could also be the PlayStation Vue account that got corrupted. But since he can access it on his phone, that points right back to Cox and Leo is sure they're blocking something. At this point, he could try removing his PlayStation and then try. Then he could remove his computer and try on the PlayStation. He should try and isolate the issue. He can also try changing his IP address. He can do that by disconnecting his router and cable modem, wait for about 10 minutes and then reconnect. He should get a new IP address then. He should also take a look at his antivirus software. It could be locking something out.

Sam has to get a new modem and he's going to buy one rather than rent it. Leo says he'll want a DOCSIS 3.1 modem and he'll want to get one that is recommended by his ISP. Netgear makes a good one, and the ARRIS Surfboard is a popular option. The WireCutter likes the Netgear CM500.

Michael's son has just finished 8th grade and he wants to reward him with a decent gaming computer. What should he get for between $1,200 and $2,000? Leo says to not get a laptop. He should get a desktop. He'll pay more for a gaming laptop, and they won't be as fast because of limitations in graphics processors. Leo recently got his 15 year old an Asus Republic of Gaming (ROG) G20CI desktop PC.

A GTX 1060 or better graphics card is a good place to start. Remember to save a little money for a monitor. Asus sells a good monitor, but he may want another model. Leo also recommends buying online. He can get a great deal on Amazon.

Audience QuestionsHour 3

Pat recently bought a fifth wheel trailer and wants to have a rear mounted camera that he can see from the cabin. He'd like to spend around $150. Leo says that cameras are cheap. The money is in how it's installed and connected. Many cameras use Wi-Fi, though, and that could cost him some extra money as well.

Leo says he had an Esky backup camera that he installed into the license plate frame and it used a wireless connection. Then his phone or tablet would become the screen. The 4UCam is a good Wi-Fi backup camera as well. Pyle is another good brand. All under $100.

The only real challenge may be congestion caused by the metal in the trailer.

Dave has an HP 6700 printer which keeps disconnecting from his network. Clearly, since Dave has replaced the router and modem, the culprit is the printer. He even tried it on a wired connection, but it still dropped off the network. So that eliminates Wi-Fi congestion as being the problem.

It sounds like something has gone wrong with the network settings on the printer and since printer is several years old, it may be time to replace it. He could also try downloading the latest firmware and installing it. That can often solve issues like this. He should do that before he buys a new printer at least.

Noah has bought a sound bar, but it won't turn on with his Google Assistant. Leo says if the sound bar isn't supported by Google, or vice versa, it won't be able to use voice activated control from the Google Assistant. He could just leave it on, but if it shuts down automatically, then that's going to be a problem. He should look to see if he can disable the eco, or power down mode.

Joe in the chatroom says that if the sound bar turns on automatically, then he can get a smart plug to plug his sound bar in. Then the Google Assistant can work with it. Another solution could be the Logitech Harmony Hub, which can work via infrared and is controllable by Google Assistant.

Mimi recently bought a Ring Video Doorbell 2, but she doesn't have internet at home. Leo says she would have to have internet access at home to get it to work. It has to have Wi-Fi to connect. She could use a cellphone in hotspot mode, but that would be as expensive, or more than just having a home internet connection. She could talk to her neighbors to see if she can use their Wi-Fi to connect her doorbell. Another option is to use a MiFi card. That would enable her to connect up to five devices, including the doorbell.

Geri bought an Epson EcoTank printer, but after only 3 months, it has stopped printing. It keeps dropping offline. So she called into a tech support company called Driver Support and now it all works, after he installed all her new drivers and cleaned out her computer. Leo says that normally, that would be a bad thing to do because they will charge her and then install malware on the computer.

This Week in Tech News

Tuesday is Apple's next event and Leo is expecting the latest iPhone 11 (or whatever it'll be named). After the announcement, users will be able to order it starting Friday, the 13th. Leo says that gone are the days where people would wait for a week in line to be the first to get it. Now they just go online at midnight and place their order.

Other expected announcements include another update to the Apple Watch. Rumor has it that Apple will be offering ceramic versions again, along with titanium models. But Leo says that the cheapest is just as good. it's what he gets.

Apple will also release its new Gaming service for $5 a month. And Apple TV+, which Leo says the already announced original series isn't anything to get excited about. At the end of the day, it'll be another $11 a month coming out of your bank account for maybe one or two shows. In the end, cord-cutting has become less of a bargain because you're simply paying just as much as with a cable subscription. Maybe even more.

The latest scam is to convince the phone company to transfer your mobile phone number to a new SIM. Cloud Hopper is the app that does this. Once that's accomplished, the bad guys can gain control of all your apps, including banking apps with 2 factor authentication through a SIMJACKED phone. That's what happened to Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. Leo says that what he recommends is contacting your mobile service and request they use a PIN to verify it's you when seeking to get a new SIM.

New phones are hitting the market starting right now. First out the gate was Samsung with the Galaxy Note10. But it's over $1100! Next up is the Google Pixel 4, probably coming in October. The iPhone 11 is also rumored to arrive soon, and there's an Apple event scheduled for the next two weeks. Huawei will put out the Mate 30 on September 18th, if you can get it. It's the first major phone launch since the company was blacklisted. It will also be the first without Google apps and services. Just Android. The great irony of Huawei's blacklisting is that it ended up raising sales within China. Patriotism? Perhaps.

The phone is out now, in an inopportune time, with the new iPhone coming out in a few weeks, and Google's Pixl 4 coming soon. The Note 10+ has 12-hour battery life, and a three-lens camera - Telephoto, Medium, and very wide angle. It also has a lidar camera called "Time of Flight" that bounces radar off it to create a 3D model or image.

What makes the Note 10 more interesting is the small stylus to write up notes with. You can even create the notes with the phone turned off. And it does a great job with handwriting recognition. It's almost flawless.

There's also something called Samsung Desk, which turns the Note into a desktop computer that can connect to a monitor, mouse and keyboard. Leo says that's intriguing, but must people will likely not use it. One benefit is that you can connect it to your Windows computer and Mac (though it doens't work all that well) and it will act as a hard drive device or second screen. It's interesting.